Texas governor bars state employees from using Shein, Alibaba products


The Alibaba logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

WASHINGTON, Jan ‌26 (Reuters) - Texas will bar its employees from ‌using Shein, Alibaba and TP-Link hardware and software, the governor said in a statement on Monday, saying ‍his state made the decision ‍to protect the "privacy ‌of Texans" from the Chinese government.

The list also ‍includes online ​commerce platform Temu and battery maker CATL, according to the statement ⁠from Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

This is ‌the latest example of a state government official banning ⁠technology from ‍Chinese-owned companies in the name of security. Abbott's ban restricts employees from using the companies' "physical ‍hardware, artificial intelligence and software" ‌on state-owned devices and networks.

The Trump administration, which Abbott supports, has sought to rein in its own actions that could antagonize Beijing. The two countries reached a detente in a long-running trade and technology war in October.

Abbott's ‌ban covers Chinese drone maker Autel and products from Chinese artificial intelligence firm iFlyTek.

The companies did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen, Editing by Franklin Paul)

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